What do KLJ and the Rock have in common?
Good morning. Today is something special.
We remember Kobe and Gigi Bryant, Gigi's teammate Payton, the parents, coaches and families who passed one year ago today. We also know Kobe would be proud to read that the first female to officiate the Super Bowl, Sarah Thomas, will make an appearance in Super Bowl LV. Light is ahead!
We also have the pleasure of introducing you all to Erika Brown, World Record Holder, American Record Holder, ISL Swimmer, and University of Tennessee Graduate! We'll let you learn about Erika over the next few weeks, and in today's IG Takeover - she is all hands on deck on the CG Sports Instagram!
ATHLETES IN THE MEDIA
Who is Headed to Tokyo this year? Over 30 athletes have already qualified. Read about the other athletes who have secured a spot.
Kara Lynn Joyce Interviews with Polina Marinova Pompliano.
Which Famous Former People's Sexiest Man did Polina interview before KLJ? Scroll to find out. Oh and listen to Kara's interview here.
The Olympics are a Family Affair for Alexander Massialas.
Alex is set to compete and is going for gold. How is the family working together to find new ways to train?
Mick Dierdorff and US Snowboardcross Compete in Valmalenco World Cup
Dierdorff takes ninth, and the team is headed to more races in Sweden in February! Find out where to watch the replays!
CEJIH EXPLAINS
Why having representation is important
Do I need an agent? What do agents really do? These are common questions that we often receive.Having an agent can be very helpful. Let me explain why explain a few reasons why.
Agent’s protect your time: An athlete’s time is highly valuable. Every minute is either spent training or recovering from training. When an athlete gives there time to do a speaking event (virtual or in-person), clinic, photoshoot or anything that will pull them away from training - this is high value. A good agent will help filter out the opportunities that are worth an athlete’s time and rate, from the deals that are not worth it. This creates professionalism for the businesses that want to work with the athlete while allowing the athlete to stay focused on their athletic goals.
A proxy for the athlete and business opportunities: Sponsorships, appearances, endorsements and even paid social media are all exciting opportunities that an athlete may encounter. These deals should be customized for each athlete and speak to their unique value proposition. If a business is unwilling to work with an athlete’s agent, it’s a good sign that it was a one-sided deal and you should walk.
Serve as a personal consultant: To me this is one of the most important aspects to the agent-athlete relationship. My experience has shown that athlete’s often have gut feeling about a deal, they just need someone to talk scenarios through with. This is a really important service that an agent provides, even though it is not always revenue generating. During the course of an athlete’s career, an agent can educate them on how to identify the best opportunities for them. They also teach the power of saying “no” or “I’ll pass” (which often times can increase an athlete’s value).
SPONSORED CONTENT
We're Obsessed with DATA
With the Olympics approaching after a mentally challenging year in and outside of sport, athletes are going through a lot. 1 in 5 athletes experience depression. Kelly Palace and Maria Parker, co-hosts of Champion's Mojo Podcast created a free, interactive Depression & Anxiety Toolkit, containing 8 essential resources to understanding and dealing with depression and anxiety.
Schedule your FREE 30 minute consultation now! Let’s discuss how we can coach YOU to the best YOU ever! A One-on-One Coaching Call!
FINANCIAL FITNESS
Emergency Funds by Erin Papworth
Financial Fitness is a collaboration by CG Sports and the money masters at Nav.it to make financial education more accessible to pro athletes.
Where's the safest place for stash? When it comes to an emergency fund, you might want to avoid the convenience of saving at your regular bank. It’s too easy to dip into the money if you’re reminded it’s there every time you go online. And don’t apply for a debit card for the account.
At the same time, you want that money accessible so you can grab it if (and when) disaster strikes. Look for a high-yield savings account at another financial institution—the interest will help beef up your accumulated balance.
Check out this free downloadable guide to learn more.
PODCASTS
Champion's Mojo - "8 Reasons to Celebrate Your Success", Episode 💯
It's kind of a big deal. Celebrate 100 episodes of greatness with Kelly Palace and Maria Parker! - Listen now!
Career Competitor - Are you maintaining or sustaining? What's the difference?
Listen to "Competitive Stamina" Available now!
Coming this week: Cullen Jones - Father, Entrepreneur, Olympian
WHAT'S HOT
Mandy's Merch is Worldwide
Beanies, sweatshirts, tanks, tees... go get you some and join the Mandy Merch squad!
MY NAME IS...
Matt, Director of Operations
My sports background (from WAY back) is in collegiate baseball and I played high school basketball. I have a Masters in Human Resources and Organizational Development where my HR career included a stint as the Director of HR for a Power 5 collegiate sports conference, as well as the Fortune 500 world. My background also includes a Masters in Counseling where I spent some time as a school counselor. I am extremely fortunate to work in my role with CG Sports where I bring together my experience and channel it into my dream job in working within the sports world where we have a blast! I live in Colorado, love getting outdoors and do a bit of running and snowboarding. I have a passion for learning about and working with our amazing client athletes and what they've put on the line in their journey to compete at the top of their sport - their stories add so much value to so many!
Rapid Fire:
Favorite food: Pizza
What gets you out of bed in the morning? Having a purpose
Favorite sport to watch? Anything where I know the athlete put it on the line.
Coffee order? Black coffee.
Night owl or morning person? Morning person.
Ocean or mountains? Mountains.
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